Peer pressure lasts about five minutes. The consequences hang around long after the peers go home.

The force pushing you in the moment is intense and extremely short-lived. Nobody in that group will remember the pause where you hesitated, and none of them will be present for whatever follows. What feels like an unbearable social cost is usually a few seconds of mild awkwardness.

When the pressure is on, notice how brief it actually is and let it pass without deciding. Have a plain exit sentence ready so you do not have to invent one on the spot. Nobody checks afterward, and you are the only one still there later.